Unlike civilian physicians, military physicians have ethical obligations to their patients, the Hippocratic Oath and military guidelines. Those competing interests often weigh heavy on physicians when placed in such a quandary. They may have to decide whom to render treatment to or for whom to reserve medical resources. Therein lies the dual loyalty conflict. According to the International Dual Loyalty Working Group, dual loyalty is a clinical role conflict between professional duties to a patient and obligations, expressed or implied, real or perceived, to the interests of a third party such as an employer, insurer or the state (Borrow, 2010). Though the military physician’s ethical obligation to their patients is most important, it is quite challenging, especially in the midst of humanitarian and wartime missions. With an allegiance to both the Hippocratic Oath and military guidelines, military physicians sometime wrestle with the ethical conflict of whom to treat during
Unlike civilian physicians, military physicians have ethical obligations to their patients, the Hippocratic Oath and military guidelines. Those competing interests often weigh heavy on physicians when placed in such a quandary. They may have to decide whom to render treatment to or for whom to reserve medical resources. Therein lies the dual loyalty conflict. According to the International Dual Loyalty Working Group, dual loyalty is a clinical role conflict between professional duties to a patient and obligations, expressed or implied, real or perceived, to the interests of a third party such as an employer, insurer or the state (Borrow, 2010). Though the military physician’s ethical obligation to their patients is most important, it is quite challenging, especially in the midst of humanitarian and wartime missions. With an allegiance to both the Hippocratic Oath and military guidelines, military physicians sometime wrestle with the ethical conflict of whom to treat during